Love is Blind
by Dolly is All Kinds of Trash
Summary: A car accident takes so much away from Lucy. Luckily, Natsu is there to convince her that there is still so much to live for. AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Lucy!" Lucy's mother said to her as the door to her room opened, "We need groceries!"

Lucy didn't look up from her desk as she answered back, "Send Capricorn."

She heard her mother let out a heavy sigh, "We can't just send Capricorn for everything."

Lucy still didn't look up from her desk, "We always sent him before. He knows how grocery stores work, and he likes getting out of the house."

"Well, I wanna go with him this time." She said indignantly.

"Have fun." She said, waving over her shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding her pen.

"I want you to come to!" Her mother cried.

"Can't." Lucy said simply, continuing to write.

"You've been writing for three days straight! Isn't your hand tired yet?" Her mother whined. Lucy snorted. Everyone always talked about Layla Heartfilia's gentle and kindly nature but, in truth, she was a real brat when she didn't get her way.

"Very tired." Lucy said, continuing to write.

"Then take a break!" Her mother commanded.

"Can't." Lucy said.

Growling, her mother marched over and grabbed Lucy by the arm.

"Hey!" Lucy exclaimed, her pen falling to the floor.

"It's not healthy for you to spend all your time cooped up in your room! You need to get outside, live your life!" Her mother dragged Lucy away from her desk.

"I am living my life!" Lucy protested, struggling to escape from her mother's iron grip.

"A life away from your desk." Her mother said, pulling her towards the door.

"I'll do that after I finish writing! Mama! Lemme go!" Lucy whined.

"It'll be healthy for you to get out of the house!" Lucy's mother said brightly. Lucy stopped struggling and slumped in defeat. Even if she could go back to her writing, her mother had completely messed up her rhythm.

"I want you to write, sweetie. I just think that it's unhealthy for you to stay in your room for three days straight." Her mother said gently, seeing her daughter's unhappiness.

"You don't seem like you want me to write." Lucy grumbled childishly.

"Of course I want you to write. I always want you to write. You writing is beautiful, and the world could do with more beautiful things in it."

Lucy smiled, a pleased blush tinting her cheeks.

"But," He mother continued, "I care about your well-being more than anything. And I'm telling you that it's not good for you to stay cooped up in your room forever!"

Her mother resumed dragging Lucy to the door. Lucy, deciding to salvage some of her dignity, yanked her arm out of her mother's grasp and walked ahead with her head held high.

"Good afternoon, Lucy-sama." Capricorn greeted her. She looked up at her mother's driver and personal bodyguard. Dressed in a black suit with dark sunglasses and a neatly trimmed goatee, her definitely looked his part.

"I better be getting some carambola for this." Lucy grumbled, going through the car door that Capricorn was holding open for her.

"As you wish, Lucy-sama." Capricorn said, giving a light chuckle.

A few seconds later, she heard Capricorn exchange greetings with her mother as she got into the car. The door closed behind her, Capricorn got behind the wheel, and they set off.

"Aren't you excited, Lucy?" Her mother said, practically bouncing in her seat. "You're going to a grocery store for the first time!"

"Sounds boring." Lucy mused.

"Don't be like that!" Her mother whined, shaking her by the shoulders. "You're gonna love it! There's these long, long shelves completely full of food! And-"

"I know what a grocery store looks like, Mama." Lucy cut her off. In truth, she had never actually been to a grocery store. But she'd seen plenty of pictures, and they didn't seem that interesting.

"You've never even been to one." Her mother sniffed.

"And you've only been, like, twice!"

"It was thrice, for your information, and that's more times than you've been!"

"What's so great about grocery stores, anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Well-"

But Lucy's mother never got to tell her daughter the reason why grocery stores were so great. It all happened so fast. One moment they were talking, and the next the car was swerving and Lucy somehow got knocked unconscious.

* * *

Lucy awoke in a dark room, surrounded by several voices. They were all murmuring quietly, but Lucy heard some distinct sobs.

"Lucy? Oh, thank god, you're awake!" She heard Loke saying to her. Loke was the strongest of the Heartfilia family's servants, and one of Lucy's bodyguards, though he didn't act like it. Despite his flirtatious and perverted nature, Lucy loved him as much as all her attendants.

"Loke?" She extended her arms upward, and immediately regretted that decision. "Ow!"

Several things were insde her arms, keeping her from moving too much.

"Careful." Loke said. "The doctor thought the IV tubes would be helpful."

"Oh." Lucy said, realizing she was in a hospital. "Turn on the light. Why are you just standing in the dark?"

"What?" Loke asked, sounding alarmed.

"What's wrong with her?" Lucy heard Aquarius, one of her mother's attendants, ask in alarm.

Lucy giggled, "Are you worried about me, Aquarius?"

Aquarius didn't respond, which Lucy found odd. Normally, Aquarius would've made some harsh remark and dumped a bottle of water on her.

"What's up with you, Aquarius? And can someone turn the light on, please?"

"Oh no…" The twins, Gemi and Mini said in unison.

"Princess?" Virgo's voice came just a few centimeters from Lucy's face.

"Ah!" Lucy exclaimed. "Virgo, what're you doing?"

"Can you see me?" Lucy's quirky maid sounded almost hopeful.

"Obviously not. How you see anything? It's so dark in here." She said irritatedly.

"Lucy…" Loke voice sounded strained, as if he was trying not to cry. "The light _is_ on."

Lucy, for a moment, was frightened. But then, she realized,

"Nice try, Loke." Lucy said, laughing. "As if I would fall for that!"

"No, Lucy, this isn't a joke." Loke sounded so serious that Lucy was suddenly afraid. "The light is on, you just can't see it."

The meaning of those words didn't really hit Lucy at first.

"I'm… blind?" She asked, not really understanding the meaning of that and not wanting to. She didn't try to think about how she was going to live her life now, she didn't think about anything. Ignorance was bliss.

"It would… seem so." Loke said.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy-sama." Capricorn sobbed. "This is all my fault."

"Don't cry, Capricorn." Lucy comforted. "It's not your fault."

"I'll get the doctor!" Aries said meekly. "I'm sorry!"

"Where are my parents?" Lucy asked once she'd heard the door close behind Aries.

The room went silent.

"Your father…" Sagittarius said slowly, "Went home. He spoke with the doctor for a bit… and then left, hello."

"He didn't even come to see me?" Lucy asked, feeling hurt.

"He..uh… wasn't feeling well, hello."

"Oh," Lucy said, her hurt turning into worry. "Is he okay?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine… eventually, hello." Sagittarius said.

"What about Mama?" Lucy asked, hoping that she would be here.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence once again.

"Guys? Did you hear me? I asked for my mother, where is she?" Lucy asked, slightly disconcerted by the silence.

Again, nobody answered, though this time the silence was pierced by a few sniffles.

"What's the matter with you guys? Did Mama go home with Papa?"

Her question was only met with several sobs.

"She's… okay, right?" Lucy asked.

Nobody answered.

"Come on, she has to be okay… Please tell me she's okay."

"Lucy…" Aquarius said.

"She has to be okay!" Lucy screamed. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, her breathing felt erratic, she'd never felt this much dread in her life.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy…" Aquarius said.

"Don't apologize!" Lucy shrieked, suddenly feeling very trapped in her own dark world. "You have nothing to be sorry for! There's nothing wrong!"

"Lucy.." She felt Loke's hand on her shoulder. It did nothing to comfort her, she had never felt more terrified.

"Where is she?!" Lucy screamed. Never had Lucy asked a question that she didn't want to hear the answer to, until now.

"Your mother… has passed away. I'm so sorry, Lucy." Loke said solemnly.

Lucy had already known it, or suspected it, but the blow of hearing those words became too much for her. The world didn't go dark (it's not like it could get any darker), but Lucy suddenly felt lighter. As if her body was floating, away from the world, and away from her troubles. It was a pleasant, dreamless sleep.

And Lucy never wanted to wake up again.

* * *

 **Oh my god... is this what I think it is?! It can't be... A MULTIPLE CHAPTER FIC! Am I ready for this kind of emotional commitment? Probably not, but I'm doing it anyway. Also, I tried to think of a good name, I really did. The first thing I came up with was _Blind Words_ which I thought was really cool and poetic, but then I realized it made no sense whatsoever. So... yeah, I ended up using the most generic name for a story about a blind person falling in love. Sue me.**

 **Please review!**

 **With love and carambolas (if you don't know what those are, fret not, all will be revealed in due time),**

 **Dolly**


	2. Chapter 2

When Lucy awoke, the first thing that she thought was,

 _Why is it so dark?_

Then she remembered and it felt like a ton of bricks falling on her. She was blind, and her mother was dead. It felt like something that should be happening to the main character in a book, not to her. But this wasn't a book. She wasn't going to train to learn how to see with her soul. She wasn't going to fight the evil demon that killed her mother. She was just a helpless, sixteen year old girl who'd lost her sight, her mother, and any hope of a happy life all in one afternoon.

 _I should be crying right now._ She thought, but she couldn't bring herself to muster a single tear. She didn't feel sad, she didn't feel anything, she was completely empty inside.

And it disgusted her.

"Lucy?" She heard Loke's voice to her left and turned her head towards it.

"Good, you're awake." Loke said, sounding relieved. She heard footsteps and the sound of something scraping against the tile.

"Are you feeling better?" Loke's voice was much closer to her now.

"No." She answered, not in the mood for lying. "Worse, actually. Can you tell the doctor to give me some morphine?"

"That's a pain killer, Lucy."

"Tell them to give me a lot."

"No, that's... not a good idea." Loke said, and Lucy could almost see him shifting uncomfortably in his seat. They sat in tense silence for a few moments before Loke finally said,

"Do you want to see your mother?"

"I can't exactly see her, can I?" Lucy said ruefully.

"You know what I mean."

Lucy thought about if before saying, "No, I don't want to."

 _Not until I feel something._ Lucy told herself. _Not until I can cry over her._

"Do you want to go outside?" Loke asked instead.

That sparked Lucy's interest, "Can I?"

Loke hummed a "yes" before saying, "Be right back."

Lucy heard the sounds of his footsteps and the door closing behind him. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Pun puun!" Lucy heard a strange noise, the likes of which she'd never heard before. Without being able to see it, she suddenly felt very afraid.

"Loke?" She called, reaching out for him (and noting that the IV tubes were no longer in her arm, thankfully). "What was that?"

"Calm down." Loke held her outstretched hand, and the familiar touch comforted her. "It's just a dog."

"A… dog?" Lucy questioned in disbelief. "I've never heard a dog make that noise before…"

Loke chuckled, "He's a pretty weird dog."

Lucy reached out with her other hand, searching. Finally, her hand made contact with something fuzzy and she ran her hand over her dog's short, yet surprisingly soft, fur.

"What're you gonna name it?" Loke asked.

"Plue." Lucy answered after a moment's thought.

Loke laughed, "Plue? What kinda name is that?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I think it's cute."

"A weird name for a weird dog." Loke said. "Here." He placed something plastic in her hand and guided her fingers to wrap around the handle.

"It's part of the leash." He said, helping her up out of bed. She let Plue guide her to the door and was just about to open it when she heard Loke make a strangled sound and felt a draft of her backside.

Her jaw fell open in utter horror, "Loke, please don't tell me I'm in a hospital gown."

"O-Okay, I won't tell you." He replied with a choked voice.

Lucy let out a high-pitched shriek and pressed her back against the wall.

"Don't worry, Lucy. I can assure you that I thoroughly enjoyed-"

"Pervert!" She shrieked, hands searching for something to throw at him.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Said Loke with a chuckle. "I'll find you some clothes. Unless-"

"NO!" She screamed. "Go find me some clothes right now!"

Snickering, Loke walked past her and out the door. Lucy sighed heavily. A few moments later the door opened again.

"Here you go." Lucy reached out with her arm and made contact with some fabric. That was when Lucy realized that she couldn't see what she was putting on. Could she put on her clothes without being able to see them?

"You okay?" Loke asked. Lucy nodded and took the clothes.

"Um-" Lucy really loathed having to ask this.

Thankfully, Loke seemed to read her mind. "Do you need help?"

Lucy could feel the heat rising to her face.

"Don't worry. I never do anything without consent." Lucy could almost hear the grin in his voice. "Well, only if there's a safe word."

The heat on Lucy's face tripled, "J-Just tell me what I'm holding." She held up one of the garments.

"That's a skirt." Loke said. Lucy nodded and placed it on the bed. She held up another garment.

"That's a sleeveless shirt. It zips up in the front." Lucy held up the next garment.

Loke let out an uncomfortable cough. Lucy raised an eyebrow and felt around the fabric. It was silky, with some lace on it, and it had straps.

"O-Oh." Lucy stuttered, placing the garment on the bed. She placed the final garment next to it, already being able to guess what it was.

"I'll be waiting outside." Loke said, walking towards the door.

"Loke," Lucy said and the steps paused, "I'm glad you can still make jokes after… you know." Lucy couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"It's all for you, Lucy." Loke replied airily. Then, with a more serious tone, he added, "I'm glad you can still be angry at my jokes."

Lucy felt completely disgusted with herself, "Loke?" She whispered, almost hoping he wouldn't hear. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I don't feel anything." Lucy said, hating herself all the while. "I'm not in denial, I know she's dead, but I don't feel anything. I just feel empty inside."

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Lucy heard Loke's footsteps drawing closer. She felt him draw her into a hug.

"You will." Loke assured softly. "Don't worry, you'll feel something."

He sounded so sincere, so certain, that Lucy could almost believe him.

"Get changed." Loke said, pulling back and walking out the door.

A few minutes later, Lucy realized that changing without being able to see was surprisingly easy.

"Come on, Plue." She said, picking up his leash and letting him guide her.

"Pun puun!" Plue made his strange noise again, though this time, Lucy found it oddly cute.

"Hey, Lucy." Loke greeted her. The rest of the hallway (she assumed since hallways were usually outside hospital rooms) was quiet.

"Where's everyone else?" Lucy asked.

"Oh…" Loke said, Lucy could hear the grimace in his voice. "They're with…" He trailed off, but Lucy already knew what he was about to say.

"Go see her." Lucy commanded at once.

"N-No." Loke refused. "I'm your attendant, first and foremost. I need to be here for you."

"I'll be fine." Lucy assured. "I've got Plue to be here for me. Now, go see her."

Loke stayed silent for a long time before saying, "I'm really sorry about this-"

"Don't be. I want you to go see her. I'm… just not ready yet." Lucy said.

"Thanks!" Loke said as he ran past her.

Lucy smiled, "Let's go, Plue."

Lucy took a deep breath once they stepped out of the sterile hospital environment. The air was pleasantly cool, a light breeze blowing her hair back. She imagined that the hospital had planted little flowers outside, maybe even a tree as well. Maybe they'd planted a cherry blossom tree. Since it was spring, the cherry blossoms could be fluttering around.

"I wish I could see it…" Lucy mumbled longingly.

"Pun puuun!" Plue seemed to be consoling her. Lucy smiled and they started walking. The street was crowded, Lucy could hear the bustling people and the sounds of car horns, but Plue was really good at making sure she didn't bump into anything. At least, Lucy thought so. Until Plue suddenly stopped in his tracks, and nearly caused Lucy to fall over.

"Woah, look at this weird dog! It kinda looks like a snowman!" A deep, yet childish, voice was saying. It sounded like a man.

"Um, w-who's there?" Lucy asked, and then realized that must sound really weird considering he was right in front of her.

"Huh? O-Oh…" The man said. Lucy assumed that he'd realized she was blind.

"Um, what's your name?' Lucy asked awkwardly.

"Natsu. What's yours?" The man, Natsu, said.

"Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too, Luigi."

Lucy's eye twitched in irritation, "It's Lucy."

He hummed in response, clearly not listening, and turned his attention back to Plue.

"So, this is your dog?" He asked.

"Plue, say hi to Natsu." She said to Plue, wanting to hear Natsu's reaction to Plue's strange noise.

"Pun puun!" Plue greeted.

Natsu laughed, "What kinda noise is that?!"

Lucy giggled, "He's a weird dog."

"How long have you had him?" Natsu asked.

"About fifteen minutes." Lucy replied with a grin. It was surprisingly easy to talk to Natsu, Lucy realized.

"So, were you born blind?"

 _Wow._ Lucy thought in part amazement. _This guy has zero discretion._

It didn't really bother Lucy, though. She couldn't remember ever meeting someone outside her family who didn't seem to be reading off a script. It was refreshing.

"I became blind… what's today's date?" Lucy asked.

"March 12th."

"I became blind yesterday afternoon." Lucy said and, not wanting to give him time to be shocked, immediately added, "So, where're you headed?"

"Oh yeah! I'm supposed to pick up groceries! See you later, Luigi!" She heard his footsteps running past her.

 _The grocery store…_

"Wait!" Lucy had shouted before she'd even thought about it. "I wanna go… to the grocery store."

She heard him walking back towards her, "You're weird." He said plainly.

"How rude." She grumbled as she felt him grab her hand. She let out a yelp as he started running, dragging her behind him.

"W-Wait!" Lucy cried.

"You want to go the grocery store, don't you?" He said. "Come on!"

Something about the way he said it made Lucy truly happy. She didn't know what this guy looked like, but she could hear the cheerfulness in his voice, and feel the warmth of his hand as it grasped hers.

And, for once, it was enough.

* * *

 **I updated quickly! Yay! Don't expect me to do this often... Anyway, tomorrow (July 26th) is Nalu day! And three days after that is my birthday! I'm so excited, but I literally have nothing planned for Nalu day. Hmmm... what's more important? Sleep? Or Nalu?**

 **I think we all know the answer to that question.**

 **Please review!**

 **With love and hospital gowns,**

 **Dolly**


	3. Chapter 3

"We're here." Natsu announced as they both came to a halt. Lucy didn't reply at first as she was struggling to catch her breath.

"Why…" She said in between gasps of breath. "were we… running?"

"'Cause it's faster." Natsu said as if she was asking a stupid question. Lucy let out a frustrated sigh. This boy was too much.

Finally, she straightened up and said, "This is a grocery store?"

"Uh, yeah." Natsu replied. "What do you need from here?"

"Need…?" Lucy questioned, confused.

"Yeah. What do you need to buy?"

"Oh… um… some carambola?" Lucy said uncertainly. She didn't know much about grocery stores, but Natsu didn't need to know that. Besides, she did want some carambola.

"What the hell is carambola?" Natsu asked.

"How do you not know what carambola is?!" Lucy said incredulously. "They're only the best fruit in the world!"

"I know a lot of fruits, but I've never heard of that." Natsu said.

"Um…" Lucy tried to find the right words to explain it. "They're… kinda oval-ish shaped. And they have these big ridges in them, usually five of them. They're orange, and sometimes yellow, and even sometimes green."

"Five ridges? Luigi, are you talking about starfruit?"

"First of all, it's Lucy." Lucy said in an irritated manner. "Second of all, who calls them starfruits? That's literally just combining two words."

"Who calls them carambolas?" Natsu retorted.

"I do! And everyone I know does!"

"...I think you just made that up." Natsu said.

"I did not!" Lucy gasped, outraged. "Here, look it up." She commanded, reaching into her bag, pulling out her phone, and handing it to him.

Natsu was silent for several moments before saying, "Who just hands their phone over to stranger? I could literally just pocket this and run off."

"I'd just buy a new phone." Lucy said as if the answer was obvious. "But you wouldn't steal my phone."

"What make you so sure?" Natsu said.

"If you were going to steal my phone, then you wouldn't have told me that you could steal my phone."

There was another long silence before Natsu laughed, "You're so weird! Come on, let's just go inside." He took her hand again, placed the phone in it, and pulled her behind him.

"Hey, wait! Aren't you going to look up carambolas?"

"Hm?" Natsu hummed, tuning her out once again. Lucy frowned at him.

"You know, I have a dog." She said, motioning to Plue, who was padding behind her. "You don't have to help me."

"Yeah, but I like helping people." Natsu replied, giving her hand a small squeeze. Lucy felt the blood rising to her face. And was just about to give a snarky reply when she suddenly felt a blast of cool air.

 _So, this is a grocery store…_

Lucy desperately wished she could see it, but she could hear the buzz of people as they walked past her, and the wheels of trolleys as they rolled past her. The air felt cool and clean (with only a slight smell of food, oddly enough).

Lucy had to admit that it was pretty nice.

"Come on, Luigi. You're _starfruit_ should be over here." He said, purposely emphasizing the name of the fruit.

"It's really nice here." Lucy said and then corrected him once again, "And it's Lucy"

"What did I say?" He asked innocently. Lucy scowled.

"Look! Starfruit!" Natsu said, coming to a stop.

"Carambolas." Lucy corrected as she reached her free hand out. Her hand came in contact with one of them. But she felt around and knew there we so many more.

"How many of them are there?!" Lucy asked in awe.

"It's a store so... a lot." Natsu replied. "Hey, why are you acting like you've never been to a grocery store?"

Lucy laughed awkwardly, "Oh, that's because… I've never been to one before. Is it that obvious?" She asked, cringing slightly.

"How have you never been to a grocery store?" Natsu asked in bewilderment.

Lucy shrugged, "I've always… been busy. I kinda regret it, though. It's great here."

Natsu snorted, "What's so great about a grocery store?"

Lucy didn't realize that simple question would bring on such a flood of regret and longing.

 _I asked Mama that question,_ the thought came to her, _and now I'll never hear the answer._

It finally registered. Lucy would never hear the answer to that question because her mother was _gone._ She was gone and she was never coming back. Lucy would never hear her voice again. She would never be held by her again. She would certainly never see her again.

As despicable as feeling nothing over her mother's death was, Lucy almost wished for it. This regret, this longing, this sorrow was so much more difficult than feeling nothing.

"I-I wouldn't know." Lucy replied because it was the truth. She would never know the answer to that question.

"Why are you crying?!" Natsu asked, sounding alarmed.

She touched her face and, sure enough, felt wetness. Her bottom lip trembled with embarrassment and sadness combined.

"Don't look at me." She said as she pried her hand out of his, turned her back to him, and covered her face.

"Lucy?" Natsu said, taking her hands away from her face. "Come on, what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing! I-I have to go!" She began to walk off. Unfortunately, Plue didn't make one move to help her and she ran into a wall. She stumbled back with a yelp, her back collided with something else. Something warm.

"See?" Natsu said, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her around. "You do need my help."

As much as Lucy tried, she couldn't hold back the tears that streamed down her face. "I have to go." She repeated.

Natsu didn't reply, but she felt some kind of soft material being dragged across her cheek.

"I don't like seeing my friends cry, okay?" He said gently.

"Friends?"

"Yeah." Natsu said with absolute confidence. "We're friends."

Lucy felt a fresh wave of tears run down her face. She threw herself into Natsu's arms and started bawling.

"Yeah." She sobbed into his shirt. "We're friends."

* * *

"Okay…" Lucy began as Natsu and her both sat at a bench outside the store.

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to." Natsu said.

"Puun…" Plue was dozing off at Lucy's feet. For a helper dog, he got tired very easily.

"No, you deserve an explanation. It's weird to just burst into tears for no reason, right?" Lucy laughed weakly. "I really I am a weirdo."

"Damn right." Natsu said. "But… you do have a reason, right?"

Lucy nodded, "Remember how I said I became blind yesterday?"

"Yeah." Natsu said simply.

"Well, I was in a car accident yesterday. My mom had wanted to go to the grocery store, and I ended up getting dragged along… I woke up in the hospital, completely blind… and I was told the my mom had died…"

Natsu was silent for a long time before Lucy felt something wrap around her shoulders and pull her towards Natsu.

"I don't know what to say," Natsu said, sounding truly upset, "so I'm just gonna comfort you like this."

Lucy smiled and relaxed into the embrace, "I'm fine, really. But… thanks."

Then, as Lucy felt her foot brush against the sleeping Plue, she remembered something,

"Hey, didn't you say Plue looked liked a snowman?"

"Oh, yeah!" Natsu exclaimed. "It's really weird! He's got completely white fur! And his nose is orange! I swear, it's orange. It's kinda pointy too, like a carrot!"

Lucy laughed at his enthusiasm, "So, what do you look like, Natsu?"

"I have pink hair!" Natsu declared proudly. Lucy doubled over in a fit of laughter.

"Really?!" Lucy said in between gasps of breath.

"Yeah, and it's natural!"

Lucy tutted, "No, it isn't."

Natsu was silent for a moment, "Okay, yeah, you got me. I dyed it. I thought you would fall for it!"

"I'm not an idiot!" Lucy yelled indignantly.

Natsu muttered something that sounded distinctly like "could've fooled me".

" _What was that?_ " Lucy snarled.

"N-Nothing!" Natsu said hastily.

Lucy smiled brightly, "That's what I thought. Anyway, why did you dye your hair pink?"

"Well, at first, I did it on a dare." Natsu explained. "But then, I just decided to keep it that way. It makes me look tough!"

Lucy laughed again, "Who thinks pink hair makes them look tough?"

" _Really_ tough people." Natsu insisted.

 _It feels good to laugh._ The realization dawned on Lucy. _It feels good to have a friend._

Lucy felt her grin widen at this as Natsu mused aloud,

"Huh, it's getting dark."

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed, bolting to her feet.

"Well, it was already pretty late in the day when we met, and we've been out for a while." Natsu said casually.

"I really have to go! I've never been out past daylight, even when I could actually see! Aquarius is gonna kill me!" Lucy said hurriedly, yanking on Plue's leash to wake him up.

"Puun!" Plue cried out at the sharp tug.

"Hey, wait!" She felt Natsu's hand grab her arm. "Let me walk you home. It's not safe, especially for you."

Lucy frowned at that, "Why 'especially for me'? Because I'm blind?"

Despite knowing that it was probably true, Lucy was still offended by that.

"Because you're good-looking." Natsu said nonchalantly. "Magnolia's pretty safe, but there's some creeps out there."

Lucy sputtered and felt the heat rise to her face, but Natsu was seemingly unaware of that as he just took her hand and pulled her into a walk.

"So, where to?" Natsu asked.

"Um, do you know where… the nearest hospital is?" She asked, realizing that she'd never bothered to get the name of the hospital she was staying at.

"Magnolia Care Center? Is that the one?"

"Probably." Lucy said with a shrug.

"Come on!" Natsu said, pulling her behind him as he started to run.

"Puun puun!" Plue said indignantly as he was forced to keep up with us.

"Why do we have to run everywhere?!" Lucy yelled.

"Because it's faster!" Natsu yelled back. "Didn't I tell you that?"

Lucy groaned in response.

And after Lucy felt like she was about to collapse, Natsu came to a halt.

"We're here."

Lucy placed her hands on her knees, gasping for breath as her muscles screamed in pain. "You are… the worst."

"But," Natsu said cheekily, "I'm the best at being the worst."

"Puun…" Plue breathed, almost maliciously.

"Princess!" Lucy heard Virgo's footsteps running towards her. "It's past dark, we were so worried! Aquarius is furious."

"Oh no…" Lucy groaned.

"Is it punishment time?" Virgo, ever the masochist, said hopefully.

"No." Lucy said firmly.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were a princess, Lucy? Or should I call you 'Your Majesty'?" Natsu said, his voice shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Oh, shut up." Lucy grumbled.

"Princess, who is this strange boy? He has pink hair."

"You have pink hair." Natsu pointed out. "And you're wearing a maid costume, that makes you stranger."

"I'm wearing a maid costume because I am a maid." Virgo defended. "Princess, this boy is being offensive. Should you punish me?"

"Virgo, this is Natsu, he's a friend." Lucy explained.

"A friend?" Virgo echoed, confused for a moment before, "Oh! A _friend._ I understand, Princess."

"I don't think you-" Lucy tried to say, but Virgo hastily cut her off.

"No need to explain it to me, Princess. I'll just go and tell the others, and leave you two _alone._ " Virgo put a heavy stress on the word. "Have fun, Princess."

She heard the patter of footsteps growing fainter. She remained silent, waiting for Natsu's reaction towards her quirky maid.

Finally, Natsu spoke, "I didn't know you were a sadist."

Lucy felt her breath choke in her throat, "I'm not a sadist!"

"Did you put those chains on her?" Natsu wondered aloud.

"No!" Lucy denied.

"Weird friends for a weird girl, I guess." Natsu said.

"I don't get how the pink-haired boy can call _me_ weird." Lucy grumbled.

"The pink-haired boy just did." Natsu retorted playfully.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him before saying, "I should probably go before Virgo starts some terrible rumor about you."

She tugged on Plue's leash and as she started walking behind him, she heard Natsu call her name,

"Maybe running isn't always the best choice, huh?" He said.

Lucy didn't even get a chance to process that, "See ya!" Natsu said as Lucy heard his footsteps walking away from her.

Once again, she fell into a walk behind Plue and, as soon as the automatic doors slid open for her, Lucy felt herself being drowned in a wave of questions.

"Who is after Lucy-san's nice body?!" She heard Taurus shout.

"Do I need to cut him down, shrimp?" Cancer's cool voice somehow cut through everyone's yelling.

Lucy froze with sudden fear as she heard Aquarius's rageful bellow.

"Okay, everyone, calm down!" Loke shouted, effectively quieting everyone.

Loke let out a sigh and Lucy suddenly felt his hands clap down on her shoulders.

"Lucy." He said, his tone uncharacteristically grim. "I get that everyone has there own way of coping, but is _this_ really the answer?"

Lucy opened her mouth but Loke continued on.

"These kind of… relationships," He said slowly, as if was choosing his words very carefully, "never end well. Eventually, he's going to want more than what you're giving him and-"

"Wait, wait!" Lucy cried. "What do you think I'm doing?!"

"Well, Virgo said you'd made a 'special friend'. It's okay, I'm just warning-"

"No, no, no!" Lucy shouted, completely horrified. "Natsu is _not_ a 'special friend'! Absolutely not! I can't believe you would even assume that!"

"I mean, at your age, I was-"

"Stop!" Lucy commanded. "I really, really don't want to know."

"Everything's okay then?" Loke asked, relief evident in his voice. "You're not using that boy for-"

"No! I'm not!" Lucy yelled. She heard several people in the room let out sighs of relief and her eye twitched in irritation.

"I'm sorry, Princess. You may punish me if you like." Virgo said, sounding truly ashamed.

Lucy sighed, knowing that she could never stay mad at Virgo.

"Now that everyone's calmed down." Lucy said, with just a hint of an edge to her tone. "Is my mother still here?"

The room was silent for a long time before she felt something soft and fluffy crash into her, "Oh, Lucy!" Aries's normally timid voice cried out as Lucy felt arms wrap around her. "Thank goodness!"

"Aries?" Lucy questioned in mild surprise as she felt Plue's leash slip out of her fingers and onto the floor with a soft _clank._

"I'm sorry!" Aries wailed, though she didn't loosen her hold on Lucy.

"Your mother is still here, piri." Lucy felt Mini's hand slip into her right hand.

"We can take you to her, piri." Her twin brother, Gemi, said as he slipped his hand into Lucy's left one. Aries, seemingly having lost the nerve she had mustered, suddenly let go of Lucy and scampered away, muttering apologies all the while.

Gemi and Mini dragged her off the with surprising strength for two small children.

"Are you two doing okay?" Lucy asked tentatively as they walked down the hallway.

"We are fine, piri." The twins said in unison.

"Are you sure? I know that you have been serving my family for a while, and… you're just kids."

"We don't serve the Heartfilia family, piri." The twins said in unison, once again. "We serve you."

"Don't dodge the question." Lucy said, slightly exasperated.

"Layla-san was a kind woman, piri." Gemi said.

"We are very sad that she is gone, piri." Mini said.

"But we will be fine." Gemi and Mini said together.

"I'm glad to hear that, Gemini." Lucy said, using the nickname that she'd given them many years ago.

The twins abruptly stopped and Lucy heard the click of a door being opened.

"This way." The tugged her into the room and stopped when they were, presumably, in front of the bed.

"Can I be alone for a second?" Lucy asked.

"Call us if you need us, piri." Lucy didn't hear their footsteps, the twins almost never made sounds as they walked, but she heard the door close behind them.

The room was pitch black, just as everything in Lucy's life would now be pitch black, but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the silence, and the cold, thin air. That was what brought the first tear. The fact that, once her mother was gone, they'd locked her away as if she was nothing more than another corpse.

 _And they're right._ Lucy thought bitterly. _Layla Heartfilia is gone, and this is nothing more than a corpse. The body that once held my mother._

"Hey, Mama." Lucy said because, despite her previous thoughts, this corpse was the closest thing she would ever have to her mother now. "Did you know I'm blind now? How weird is that?" Lucy laughed softly. "But I made a friend today, his name is Natsu. Yeah, he's a boy, and he has pink hair. Papa would have a heart attack, right?"

Lucy smiled through the tears that were now running down her cheeks.

"I went to a grocery store today." Lucy dragged the back of her hand against her cheek. "It was… pretty great. As great as you said it would be."

Before, if you'd asked Lucy, she would've said the concept of an afterlife was silly. A story told to make little children behave. But, for her own selfish reasons, Lucy couldn't believe that Layla Heartfilia just _died._ She must still exist, somewhere. Lucy wouldn't, _couldn't_ , accept any other answer.

"I hope you still exist somewhere. I hope you're not completely gone. Can I believe that? Can I just believe that one thing?" Lucy sobbed. "I love you so much, and I don't want to believe that you're gone. It's the most selfish reason imaginable, but I'll believe in an afterlife… if it means that you're not gone. So… see you later, Mama."

Lucy turned and carefully walked towards the door with her hand stretched out in front of her. She pushed open the door and called out,

"Gemini?"

"Lucy." Gemi and Mini said as they took her hands and led her down the hallway once again. They didn't ask her any questions, which Lucy appreciated. The trio walked in a companionable silence until Lucy heard the shrill ringing off her phone. Gemi and Mini stopped as she reached into her bag, pulled her phone out, and dragged her thumb across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Carambolas, more _commonly referred to as starfruits._ " Natsu's voice came through the phone.

"Natsu?" Lucy said in surprise. "How did you get my number?"

"I did tell you not hand your phone to strangers."

"You could've just asked for my number."

"That would've been so much more boring." Natsu drawled.

Lucy felt her lips tug up into a smile.

"Anyway," Natsu said, "I was right!"

"Huh?"

"About starfruit! Carambolas, more commonly known as _starfruit_."

Lucy scoffed, "How are you right? Carambolas is the correct name."

"But nobody calls them that." Natsu said petulantly.

Lucy could see that Natsu wasn't going to concede anytime soon, "We're both right, okay?"

"Hmph." Natsu grumbled. "I'm more right."

"Ugh, fine." Lucy sighed.

"Yeah! I-" There was loud crash in the background. "Happy!" Natsu yelled. "Uh, I have to go. Later, Lucy!"

"Um, bye." Lucy said uncertainly before Natsu hung up.

"Lucy?" The twins asked as she put her phone back in her bag.

"Oh sorry, guys. Come on." Lucy reached out her hands but the twins did not take them.

"Was that your special friend, piri?" Gemi asked.

"No!" Lucy yelled, completely appalled. "I don't have a 'special friend'!"

"He must be special, piri." Mini said.

"If he can make you smile like that, piri." They said in unison.

Lucy was rendered mute by that one statement as the twins took her hand with a smile on their faces.

Their mistress had certainly found a very special friend, whether she admitted it or not.

* * *

 **Wow, this update took longer than expected. But, hey, look at that, I wrote a kinda-sorta long-ish chapter! Yay! Anyway, this will probably be my last update before I GO BACK TO HELL... er, I mean, go back to school...**

 **Please review!**

 **With love and special friends,**

 **Dolly**


	4. Chapter 4

"A car is waiting for you outside, Lucy-sama." Capricorn said with a strained voice.

"Aren't you driving?" Lucy asked.

"No, I have hired a taxi to take you home." Lucy heard the sharp click of his footsteps as they drew away from her.

"Cap-" Lucy began but was quieted by a hand on her shoulder.

"Leave him." Loke told her gently. "He just needs time."

Lucy was silent for a moment before nodding. Loke guided her out of the waiting room and Plue padded happily behind them.

Once seated inside the taxi, Lucy let her thoughts wander. Her life had changed so much in a single afternoon, it was almost comical. Lucy felt like a part of her had been ripped away and the pain had faded to dull ache. Lucy wryly wondered how she was still functioning. Surely all this should've broken her.

Thinking about it made her head hurt.

"Are you thinking about Capricorn?" Leo suddenly asked.

Lucy hadn't been, but she replied, "I hope he knows that it wasn't his fault."

"He does." Leo assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's just…"

"I know." Lucy said.

"I know I should've asked sooner but… how are you?"

"I'm fine." Lucy answered quickly. Too quickly.

"Are you sure?" Loke pressed. "You've lost your sight… and your mother…"

" _I'm fine._ " Lucy said with a noticeable edge to her to her tone.

To her relief, Loke fell quiet and didn't speak until the taxi came to halt.

"Come on." Loke said as he gently guided her out of the car. As they walked up the driveway, Lucy noticed quite a bit of commotion was coming from behind the front door.

"What's going on, Loke?" She asked.

"Oh, everyone's making preparations for the funeral." Loke responded, his tone only slightly strained.

 _Funeral._ Lucy had been to several funerals in her lifetime and, at every single one of them, there was the air of falsehood. People wore all black and solemnly stared at the ground while they said meaningless words that they'd repeat countless times over. There was no feeling in it.

Lucy stopped walking, "Why are we holding a funeral?" She blurted out.

"What?" Loke questioned, confusion evident in his tone. "Why wouldn't we?"

"It's just…" Lucy shook her head. "Nevermind."

She gently tugged on Plue's leash, and walked to the door.

"I'm back." She announced as she pushed open the door.

"Welcome home." She heard the voice of one of her family's servants. "I heard… Are you okay, Lucy?"

"Spetto-san? I'm fine, really." Lucy smiled brightly. "Where is my father?"

"Ah, well…" She sounded nervous. "In his office. I will take you there."

Lucy placed Plue's leash on the ground, "I'll be back, Plue."

"Pun puun!"

Spetto took Lucy's hand and led her away.

"I should warn you…" Spetto said in a hushed tone as they walked, "You father is… overcome with grief."

"Of course." Lucy agreed. "I am as well."

"Yes." Spetto was speaking slowly as if she was trying to find the right words to say. "But… you have to understand, she was the love of his life."

"She was my mother." Lucy replied, a bit sharply.

"I have to say, your father isn't half as strong as you…"

Lucy paused, not knowing how to respond to this.

"And he doesn't know of your… condition."

She stopped in her tracks, "He doesn't?"

"He left the hospital as soon as he heard of your mother."

She pondered this for a moment before shaking her head, "It doesn't matter. I still have to see him. He's my father."

"I know." Spetto insisted. "Just… you look so much like her, Lucy."

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me." Lucy huffed.

The servant, who knew Lucy's father all too well, simply sighed. "I'm just hoping that Jude might show some maturity. It's best not to listen to the ramblings of an old woman like me, dear. Come along."

Lucy remained silent as they continued towards her father's office, Spetto's uncharacteristically cryptic words rang in her head.

"We're here." Spetto announced, yanking Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Thanks, Spetto-san." Lucy said. "You can go."

Spetto hesitated, "But-"

"I'll be fine. You can go." She repeated, putting more force behind the words. Spetto made a small noise of assent before walking away.

Lucy remembered the great wooden door of her father's study. How the room was mostly bare except for a single desk at the far end. Lucy used to tell her father that he didn't need such a big room if he was only going to use a corner of it. That made him laugh.

She pushed the door open, "Papa." She greeted, stepping into the room.

"Lucy…" She heard the scrape of metal chair legs on wood.

"Good afternoon, Papa." Lucy smiled.

"Lucy, what happened to you?" Her father asked, suddenly seeming alarmed.

"I'm fine." She assured. "I just… can't see anymore." She laughed slightly.

"You're… blind?" Her father breathed, his voice just barely above a whisper. He let out a choked noise.

"I'm fine." Lucy said. "I'm fine, Papa. This is just… something that happened."

Her father stayed silent.

"You know, they're preparing the funeral downstairs…"

"What of it?" Lucy flinched at the sudden coldness in her father's tone.

"I don't like it either… but we should at least help with the preparations."

"Why should I? Why do I have to stand and smile as people give me emotionless condolences? I don't want to, Lucy."

"You're being childish, Papa." Lucy chided.

"Don't you think you're a bit too old to call me 'Papa'?" Her father said, his voice suddenly sounding cold and monotone.

"What-"

"You were always an insolent child. You never had an respect for me. It's well past time you learned your place."

"You're being ridicule-"

"Enough." Her father's voice was sharp and commanding. He'd never spoken to her like that. "You've overstepped your bounds. Leave me."

"Papa-"

"And you should address me as 'Father'. You're the heir to the Heartfilia Konzern, it's time you acted like it. Leave me, now. I'm busy."

"What's the matter with you?!" Lucy screamed, suddenly feeling every bit of the helpless blind girl that she was. "Screw the Heartfilia Konzern! Who cares about that? Mama's dead and all you can tell me is to call you 'Father'?!"

"It is apparent that you need lessons on how to act like the lady you are. I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner, I warn you." Her father's voice was tight, almost choked.

" _You warn me?!_ " Lucy scoffed. She couldn't believe this. At this crucial moment, when they needed each other more than ever. At this moment, he was choosing to push her away.

"Quiet!" Her father barked, though it came out more like a sob. "Get out, get out, get out!"

Lucy heard a loud crash and the sound of glass shattering. With her heart beating out her chest, she flung open the door and ran down the hallway. She kept running, even as she tripped over rugs and hit her shoulders on walls. She kept running until finally she collided with something and fell to the floor.

"Lucy-sama?" She heard a deep voice filled with concern.

"Capricorn-" She began but her voice caught in her throat as she tried to suppress the sob that was working it's way up.

"Lucy-sama? Are you okay? You seem frightened."

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, "I'm fine." She said.

"That's a relief. It's dangerous to run in the halls. Why don't you have an escort?"

Lucy rose to her feet, placing her hand on a wall to steady herself. She looked left and right, trying to get a glimpse of the house she grew up in. She could not see the walls, would never see them again, but she could almost feel them closing in on her. The Heartfilia Manor was huge. The Heartfilia Estate was the size of small town. One thing Lucy definitely never had any want for was space.

Until now.

"Capricorn." She gasped, claustrophobia overwhelming her. "Drive me into town. Anywhere in town, it doesn't matter."

"N-No. I can't-"

"You can." Lucy said. "I trust you. I just need to get out of here."

When he didn't respond Lucy pressed him once more, "Please."

"I… As you wish, Lucy-sama."

* * *

Lucy breathing slowly returned to normal as the car drove away from her house. She was feeling slightly embarrassed by her outburst when the car came to a halt.

"We're here." Capricorn said as Lucy heard his car door open.

"Where's here?" Lucy asked as she exited the car.

"This is the first place I thought of." Capricorn said. "It's the first investment your father made after he moved to this town."

"So it's…" Lucy trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"The first investment your father made after he married your mother." Capricorn said.

"Yes, but what is it?"

"Apartments. The Heartfilia Apartments." Capricorn answered.

Lucy pondered over this for a minute, "Why did you bring me here?"

"This was simply the first place I thought of." Capricorn said.

"Liar." Lucy accused.

Capricorn paused for a moment, "I think the Manor is no longer your place…"

"What? That's ridiculous, the Manor is my home. Having one fight with my father isn't going to change that." She said in bewilderment.

"It is not about your father, though I will be speaking to him about this 'fight' that you two had." He replied. Lucy winced at the sudden sternness in his tone.

"Don't. He's just upset, confronting him will only make it worse." Lucy said.

"Your father has always lacked maturity." Capricorn said with surprising irritation in his voice.

"Enough about that." Lucy waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "The point is, I can't just leave my home because of a petty argument."

"And my point is, it's not about that 'petty argument'. This is was your mother's wish. She called it… 'leaving the nest'. And I think she was right. I've known you since you were a toddler, Lucy-sama, you're not the type to accept your whole life being laid out for you."

"But…" Lucy's voice lowered as she noticed the truth in her friend's statement. "My father is…"

"A grown man." Capricorn replied. "Who needs to start acting like one."

Lucy huffed, "So basically, you're kicking me out of my own home?"

The normally stoic man let loose a deep chuckle, "Essentially."

"I'm blind." Lucy huffed. "This is negligence."

"Well, your condition is a complication. But we will make do."

Lucy sighed irritably.

"You are welcome to visit as often as you like." Capricorn said in a placating tone.

"Visit my own home?" Lucy asked drolly.

"I understand that this a vulnerable time for you and Jude, both. But that is exactly why I'm doing this. Physical distance is much more easily crossed than emotional distance."

"Everyone's just so fond of riddles today, aren't they?" Lucy grumbled.

"You'll understand what I mean eventually." Capricorn said sagely.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just sign the damn contract already." Lucy said with a scowl.

"As you wish, Lucy-sama." Capricorn said, with just the slightest hint of mocking in his tone.

 _Next time he says that,_ Lucy swore to herself, _I'm going to rip his goatee off._

* * *

"Don't think that just because you're a Heartfilia I'm going to treat like a spoiled princess." Lucy's new landlady growled as she led Lucy to her room by the hand. "Your father entrusted this building to me, so I'm the one in charge, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am…" Lucy said nervously.

"Good lord, you're a meek thing. Rent is seventy-thousand jewel, and you better make sure it's on time."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lucy said with more confidence this time.

"Oh, and I'll have no bumpkins living in my apartments. If you plan on staying here, you must have a job."

"A job?" Lucy repeated in bewilderment.

"Is getting a job beneath the princess?" The lady said snidely.

"I'm blind." Lucy said, ripping her hand out of the landlady's wrinkly one. "How can I-"

"You don't think blind people work? You're not too bright."

Lucy felt her hands twitch in irritation, "Where am I supposed to work?"

"I don't like your tone, girlie. But since you must know, I will make arrangements for you at a nearby social services center. I'm sure they'll make room for you."

"Social services?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, skeptic.

"You're as tedious as a broken record. This is your room. Rent is seventy-thousand Jewel, and it better be on time." The landlady said ushered her unceremoniously into the room.

"You already said that." Lucy muttered, though the lady paid no mind. Without so much as a "see you later", the old lady released Lucy's hand and walked off, closing the door behind her.

"This is honestly the worst idea Capricorn's ever had." The blonde cursed as she tentatively shuffled across the floor. "Ugh, why didn't I bring Plue with me?! Oh yeah, because I didn't think a trip into town would turn into… _this_!"

Lucy continued to rant and wave her arms in violent gestures until she was red-faced and panting.

Heaving, Lucy collapsed onto the bare floor. Amid her thoughts of how idiotic this whole situation was, came a realization.

"I… don't have to inherit the Heartfilia Konzern anymore. I can't."

Despite herself, Lucy smiled.

* * *

 **H-Hi there! Don't mind me just... updating after 3 months of... not updating. _Ahem._ Anyway I'm sorry blah blah blah and all that but, in my defense, school has been a real killer! I'm putting off four assignments that are due tomorrow just for you guys (love you too ;P). Oh, and I also apologize for the boring exposition chapter. I swear, I tried to make it as interesting as possible but, in the end, exposition is just... exposition. Blegh. I assure you that I hated writing it as much as you hated reading it. _How can something so essential be so boring?! Why, cruel world, whyyyy?_**

 **Please review!**

 **With love and sassy landladies,**

 **Dolly**


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